"Hezbollah’s capabilities, while destructive, pale in comparison. Israel has caused immeasurable suffering to all of Lebanon, not just Hezbollah militants. The absence of this context reinforces a narrative that solely focuses on Hezbollah’s actions while overlooking the long-standing history of Israeli military aggression in Lebanon."
October 4, 2024
To:
Sean Boynton, Reporter, Global News
Elton Hobson, National Managing Editor, Online Video, Global News
Rishma Govani, Director of Communications, News & Radio, Global News
Dear Mr. Boynton, Mr. Hobson, and Ms. Govani,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) to express concern over the recent Global News article titled “Leave Lebanon now, Ottawa urges as most decline offer of seats on flights” published on October 3, 2024.
The article quotes Israel's description of its ground operations as "limited" without offering sufficient skepticism or analysis regarding the extent and implications of these operations. While Israel may frame its activities as "localized and targeted," reports from other outlets, including CBC and Al Jazeera, have raised serious questions about the possibility of establishing a buffer zone and the broader regional consequences of this offensive. Following your own standards of journalistic ethics, Global News should be more critical when repeating official statements from any party involved in such a sensitive and evolving conflict. Israel’s statements of “limited ground operations” remain claims and don’t necessarily reflect the reality on the ground. They should be reported as claims. For a particularly decent and fair example of how journalists ought to discuss Israel’s claim of a “limited” incursion into Lebanon, please watch CBC's Saša Petricic mention Israel’s plan, but then provides listeners with some basic context about it so Israel’s euphemistic language is not merely repeated by media in ways that deliberately misleads the public.
In addition, your article doesn’t address the asymmetrical nature of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Since October 2023, over 10,000 cross-border attacks have occurred between Israel and Hezbollah, with Israel responsible for the overwhelming majority of them. Israel has also used white phosphorus in its attacks in densely populated towns which is restricted under international humanitarian law. White phosphorus is prohibited in civilian areas because of its indiscriminate nature. In southern Lebanon, Israel’s phosphorus bombs sparked over 134 forest fires and injured more than 100 people. Hezbollah’s capabilities, while destructive, pale in comparison. Israel has caused immeasurable suffering to all of Lebanon, not just Hezbollah militants.
The absence of this context reinforces a narrative that solely focuses on Hezbollah’s actions while overlooking the long-standing history of Israeli military aggression in Lebanon.
To offer your readers a fuller understanding of the escalations between the two parties, I urge Global News to provide information that shows the trends of the scale of attacks by both Israel and Hezbollah. This would allow your audience to better assess the disproportionality and the damage inflicted by both sides.
Please revise your reporting accordingly.
Sincerely,
Anthony Issa
Media Analyst
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East